Seattle Kraken Draft Profile: Matthew Savoie
The Seattle Kraken need to bolster their offensive arsenal. Matthew Savoie could be a solution to their problem.
The lottery balls did not bounce in favor of the Seattle Kraken during the 2022 NHL Draft Lottery. Falling out of the top three, Seattle picks fourth overall at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Nonetheless, there is still a plethora of talent to choose from.
With their first abysmal season behind them, the Kraken could benefit from bringing in talent at any position. Seattle’s defense wasn’t bad, per se, but their blueline is aging, averaging 27 years old. That’s about on par with the league-wide average. However, this core has about three seasons before reaching its peak scoring performance.
Also, with four selections in the second round, it might serve the Kraken well to look for young talent on the blueline. The same goes for goalies. While it’s easy to point to goaltending as Seattle’s Achillie’s Heel, the time it takes a goaltender to mature rarely justifies selecting one in the first round. Additionally, this time around, no goaltenders are ranked in the Top 32 by any draft expert.
Need for Scoring
That brings us to the Seattle Kraken’s offensive talent, or lack thereof. They ended the 2021-22 season 28th in goals scored, with an average of 2.60 goals per game. There were plenty of missed opportunities for the Kraken in the Expansion draft that could have improved their offense drastically. Vladimir Tarasenko, who scored 34 goals and 84 points, is just one name that comes to mind.
Seattle General Manager Ron Francis really missed the mark in that aspect last summer. This draft is his chance to set things right and find another star player to feature in a few seasons with center Matty Beniers. During his 10-game NHL audition, Beniers showed flashes of brilliance.
However, the former Michigan Wolverines star can’t carry the Kraken alone. Matthew Savoie could be the perfect piece for the floundering Kraken to add to their growing prospect pool.